Disconnected flashbacks lead Clark to his planet's Zod (Michael Shannon), who aims to destroy Earth with…secretly harvested DNA?! No fun costume change in a phone booth, no wowing humans with his powers and no repartee with reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams). Here, she's as gloomy as the obits page in the Daily Planet!

Even the action feels labored, with the last hour devoted to people running from fireballs and getting thrown through walls - all by way of phony-looking CGI effects. Throughout the 143-minute opus, Clark is lectured about the importance of being a "force of good" in the world. Clearly, the filmmakers themselves weren't listening.